Ari Cohn
he/him
Ari Cohn is a Chicago-based attorney with more than a decade of experience in First Amendment, defamation, and technology law. He serves as Free Speech Counsel at TechFreedom—a non-partisan, nonprofit organization devoted to technology law and policy and the preservation of civil liberties in the digital realm—where he works with a broad cross-section of civil society, legislators, and stakeholders to defend the First Amendment and the vibrant, open Internet, advocating before legislative bodies, regulators, courts, and the public. He also maintains a small private pro bono practice to defend clients against abusive litigation aimed at dissuading or punishing the exercise of First Amendment rights.
Prior to joining TechFreedom, Ari was the director of the Individual Rights Defense Program at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (now the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression), where he managed the program’s direct advocacy and guided the organization to a record number of free speech victories on behalf of college students and faculty members across the United States. Ari has also previously served as an attorney with the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, and as a litigation associate at the Chicago office of Mayer Brown LLP, where he represented large multinational companies in complex litigation matters.
Ari is a sought-after communicator on free speech and tech policy issues. He regularly serves as a source for print media, appears on television, radio, and podcasts, and speaks to diverse audiences at conferences, CLE seminars, and other events.
